ZACHARY LEVINE, Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle |
December 9, 2010

Ryan Rowland-Smith was non-tendered by the Mariners after going 1-10 with a 6.75 in 2010.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Astros left Disney World with two more pitchers in their pocket, a third on the way, and a Royal Rumble-style mound competition penciled in for spring training.

In a matter of hours as the winter meetings closed Thursday, they turned the No. 5 spot in the 2011 rotation into a free-for-all, agreeing to terms with pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith, according to a person with knowledge of the deal, and selecting starting pitchers Aneury Rodriguez and Lance Pendleton in the Rule 5 draft.

The one-year agreement with Rowland-Smith is still unofficial, pending the results of a physical; thus, the Astros declined comment.

The move will have to be completed after the winter meetings, as will the rest of the Astros’ business, as the 30 clubs scattered to the jet stream (or in Tampa Bay’s case, the highway). The Astros left with three days of inaction on the transactions front followed by a flurry of activity, but with a better sense of goals for the nine weeks leading up to spring training.

They would still like to make an upgrade on offense, likely coming in the middle infield, and have grown more comfortable with the prospect of standing pat in the outfield.

“There’s still a possibility to get things done before the holidays,” general manager Ed Wade said. “If not, I still think there are opportunities to do things beyond that.”

But for now, the Astros settled for making Rowland-Smith the headliner from their trip to Florida.

Ugly numbers in 2010

The 6-3 Australian lefty was non-tendered by the Seattle Mariners after going 1-10 with a 6.75 ERA in 20 starts 2010. Prior to that, he had three seasons, including parts of two as a starter, with ERAs under 4.00 and an overall record of 11-7.

Rowland-Smith and Nelson Figueroa will be candidates for the No. 5 spot in the rotation with top prospect Jordan Lyles a possibility. So too are relievers Fernando Abad and Henry Villar and the two products of the Rule 5 draft. The Astros are undecided on whether to give the relievers a chance to win starting jobs, but if they do, innings could get scarce in spring training — a far cry from 2010, when Felipe Paulino and Brian Moehler went head-to-head.

Picking eighth in the Rule 5 draft, the Astros selected Rodriguez out of the Rays organization, and with their second-round pick, they plucked Pendleton, a Kingwood High School alum and part of Rice’s national championship team in 2003, from the Yankees.

The Astros had contemplated moving up to grab Mets fireballer Elvin Ramirez but were unable to complete a deal and watched the Nationals take him.

“We had three names on our list and got two of the three names we wanted,” Wade said.

Rodriguez, a Dominican who will turn 23 next week, was primarily a starter in a 2010 season spent mostly at Class AAA Durham. He went 7-5 with a 3.71 ERA in his sixth professional season. He has been one of the brightest stars in the Dominican Winter League with a 1.22 ERA in seven starts.

Fully recovered

Pendleton, 27, is an alumnus of Kingwood, Rice and Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss the 2006 season but that has caused no poor effects. Last year, he started for Class AA Trenton and Class AAA Scranton

Wilkes-Barre, going a combined 12-5 with a 3.61 ERA.

“Being able to get these two guys provides us with some depth to competition for a starting role in spring training, and we’ll see where it goes from there,” Wade said.

The Astros paid $50,000 for each pick and lost no players in the major league phase of the draft. The players they did select must remain with the Astros in the major leagues or on the disabled list all season or else be passed through waivers and, if clearing, be offered back to their original club for $25,000.

In the Class AAA phase of the draft, the Astros lost righthander Jeiler Castillo, who has never pitched above short-season ball in his five seasons in the organization and carried a $12,000 price tag. It was not seen as a significant loss.

Barring any trades or injuries, the top four spots in the Astros’ rotation likely will go to Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, J.A. Happ and Bud Norris. The final starter likely will be decided by a spring training battle with no shortage of candidates:

Nelson Figueroa

Comment: Righthander made 10 starts and went 5-3 with a 3.22 ERA overall for the Astros last year. He should make the team even if in a long-relief role.

Ryan Rowland-Smith

Comment: Newest Astro, once he gets the medical clearance, is coming off a down year in Seattle, but lefty has succeeded as a starter in the past.

Jordan Lyles

Comment: Top prospect could crack big league rotation at age 20, but late struggles in Class AAA could send righthander back. You’ll see him soon.

Fernando Abad

Comment: Stellar winter in the Dominican as a starter has Astros thinking, but lefthander’s value is likely back in bullpen.

Henry Villar

Comment: Righthander has started in the minors a bit but is a long shot for the rotation and should be competing for a bullpen job.